


if it happens to be that way

by showhyuks



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: F/M, but dont expect for it to be dropped soon bc i am a lazy writer, changki rise !, i luv this otp sm, let changki rise this 2016, part 2 is already on the works
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-30 23:33:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6446668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/showhyuks/pseuds/showhyuks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Changkyun is already tired of making waffles all-day long and Wonho might just know someone who can help him with his problem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	if it happens to be that way

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kalawakan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalawakan/gifts).



> un-beta-ed. you know me. this would probably be beta-ed after i finish my two chaptered showhyuk fics and the other monsta x and seventeen fics i have on my drafts. oh and hi irene ily  
> let's talk on twitter, i can be reached either through my writing/author account (@alwayshowhyuk) or my main (@minmoongs)

"Honestly, I'm tired, hyung." Changkyun lazily slips off from his shoes, holding the edge of the doorway to keep himself stable. It's another tiring Saturday after taking two shifts since his co-worker was absent and Jooyoung had him do double-shifts so they could meet the cafe's quota for the day. (Of course, with the promise of a double-pay as well.)

 

Wonho, who's known as Shin Hoseok by day and Shin Wonho by night (Changkyun doesn't even ask why), welcomes him with a huge gummy smile on his face and a boiling pot of stew held between his pair of thick mittens. "Why? What happened today, Kkukkung?"

 

Changkyun rolls his eyes. He's never fancied the nickname his roommate-slash-cousin gave him when they first started living together after he came back from Boston, but he had no other choice because his older cousin's the one paying for the rent and bills and he's only living with him for the meantime since he hasn't settled yet in Seoul completely. He wishes his pay were better, though, so he could afford getting his own apartment, not only to avoid his ever-caring hyung, but also avoid the weird and sloppy noises he hears on the room beside his whenever Wonho brings home his "boyfriend." 

 

"Did double-shifts for the day and I swear, if I see as much as a pinch of flour anytime right now, I would puke. I did not just waste three years of my life studying culinary to rot in some café downtown, cooking endless waffles, and take note: only waffles, for ten hours straight."

 

"Then why don't you apply in an actual restaurant instead of wasting your skills there? Lots of restaurants would be glad to hire you once they get a taste of your samples." Wonho moves behind him so he could push Changkyun towards the kitchen with him to help him with their dinner. Changkyun volunteers to chop the vegetables for him and Wonho gladly agrees, knowing his cousin's the better cook between the two of them.

 

"You think they'd actually hire someone like me? There are a lot of people more qualified than me, hyung." Changkyun sighs as he chops the onion lightly, trying to stop himself from shedding a tear. (Because of the onions.) 

 

Wonho clicks his tongue. "Stop belittling yourself, Kkukkung. You know you're better than what you think. You did not graduate top of your class for nothing, okay? Don't worry, I'll help you find a new job. I work for a friend who owns this huge restaurant and I think we're hiring new chefs this season."

 

Changkyun's ears perk up at this statement, looking up from the tomatoes he were about to chop. "Really?"

 

Wonho nods.

 

"Why didn't you say this before, hyung?" Changkyun whines and Wonho chuckles.

 

"Did you ask?"

 

Yes, Changkyun hates his cousin so much for being a prude sometimes, but he does feed the both of them and lets him stay even if he doesn't pay anything for the rent, but he still wants his own apartment to avoid the noises he's hearing during Tuesday and Friday nights. He hopes Wonho can really get him in the restaurant right away so he can immediately make money to make his hopes actually happen.

 

That's how he finds himself standing in front of a huge maroon building two days after, calling his boss Jooyoung hours before to call in sick so that he can afford a day off. Luckily, his co-worker is finally in and he was allowed the one-day break. Wonho is standing beside him, holding his shoulder bag while balancing the two cups of coffee he got on the way to the restaurant. Changkyun asked if the coffee was his, but Wonho just shook his head and answered it was for a certain Hyungwon whom he doesn't know yet.

 

"Ready?" Wonho asks him, staring back and forth Changkyun's stoic expression and the front door of his workplace. It's almost 9 in the morning, just one hour before opening time, and luckily his boss texted him that the others are already inside and preparing beforehand.

 

Changkyun nods and he and Wonho enter the restaurant with smiles on their faces before the smiles slip off after hearing the sudden clank of pans coming from the kitchen, Changkyun presumes.

 

"No, no! Hyung, you don't use fry pans to bake the muffins!"

 

Changkyun stifles a laugh behind his hand when he hears the frantic shouts from the kitchen and Wonho rushes in quickly, leaving Changkyun behind with a sleeping guy on the table nearest the door. He tiptoes towards the guy and tries reading the nametag clipped on the front pocket of his polo.

 

형원

 

Ah, he's the Hyungwon guy.

 

Changkyun realizes that he's the Hyungwon guy who's probably close friends with Wonho for his cousin to buy a coffee for him, and then realizes seconds later that Hyungwon's face is too familiar but he can't quite pinpoint where he saw him in the past. He stares at him closer, not realizing Wonho is already back to get him until he hears someoe clearing throat.

 

"Changkyun-ah?"

 

Wonho says and Changkyun almost falls from his position, quickly turning around to look at his cousin who has an eyebrow raised. "What are you doing?"

 

Changkyun rubs the back of his neck, feeling embarassed. "Ah, I just found his face familiar, that's all."

 

Wonho rolls his eyes before pushing Changkyun towards the kitchen, not minding Hyungwon who Changkyun just creepily stared at for minutes. He brings him inside the huge kitchen and Changkyun gulps when he sees four unfamiliar faces inside, looking frantic after the sudden commotion minutes ago. Someone, a guy with really broad shoulders, is hunched on the floor wiping away what seems like crumbs of muffins which are the reason for the chaos earlier. 

 

"Kihyun! Here's the chef I was telling you-"

 

"Minhyuk, kindly bring Hyunwoo-hyung with you to the workers' room after he cleans up. He seriously cannot do kitchen duties, that's why I tasked him as the primary waiter, right?" Kihyun rolls his eyes, crossing his arms in front of his chest before facing Wonho and Changkyun and the younger one's knees wobble when Kihyun shoots daggers towards him, eyeing him like he's some prey and the boss is the main predator. 

 

"Yes? He's the great chef you're talking about?" Changkyun can't quite say if the manager is actually nice or not, but he still had an evil aura around him. (Changkyun ignores the fact that Kihyun eyes look beautiful. He tries his best not to be too obvious when he subtly stared at them.) Kihyun walks closer to the both of them, reaching his hand out. "Hi, I'm Yoo Kihyun, manager of Flower Cafe and Restaurant."

 

"Hello, Kihyun-sunbaenim. I'm Lim Changkyun, a fresh graduate of culinary from the States." He bows before taking Kihyun's hand and he takes note of his warmth, letting it go after realizing he's been holding it for too long already.

 

"Nice. A chef from America. Which state?"

 

Wonho leaves them to help Hyunwoo clean the mess and Changkyun gulps when Kihyun asks him to follow behind as they left the kitchen. "Um, Boston, sir."

 

Kihyun clicks his tongue. "My friend lives there. That's nice." The manager brings him inside his office and Changkyun settles on the seat in front of the Kihyun's table, waiting for him to tell him what's going to happen now that he's inside the restaurant already. Kihyun sits in front of him on his huge cushioned chair, settling back. "Okay, tell me more about yourself. Why should I hire you?"

 

Changkyun tries to list all the reasons why he direly needed the job, but only one stupid reason comes our from his mouth.

 

"Wonho-hyung and someone always make so much noise during Tuesday and Friday nights and I can't sleep sometimes so I just need a job with better pay so I can leave Wonho-hyung's apartment and sleep longer everyday." Changkyun clamps a hand on his mouth after realizing what he just said and wonders about the possible shit he's going to get in once the manager tells everything to his cousin. But instead of getting angry, Kihyun laughs instead and Changkyun's eyes dazzle because _shit, his smile is so beautiful what the actual fuck_. (His mind suddenly goes on a random haywire before he gets himself together, avoiding Kihyun's smile as much as possible.)

 

"With Hyungwon, I assume? They have been going out for quite some time now, if I'm not mistaken." Kihyun sits straight before looking at Changkyun and the latter hasn't felt that small in years, with the manager eyeing him closely. "Any other reasons you could give so I can hire you right away?"

 

Changkyun fakes a smile. "I make great pancakes? That's gotta say something, right?" His laugh is too airy, too fake, because he's trying to avoid Kihyun's gaze. The manager laughs again and Changkyun didn't even dare to look at him again, not even prepared to see that breathtaking smile again.

 

"You're hilarious. I'd like to have a taste of those pancakes you're proud of, if it's okay." Kihyun replies, standing up from his seat. "And now I'm going to give you fifteen minutes to cook up something you think will impress me. If you do manage to amaze me, I will be hiring you and you start cooking here today. Understood?"

 

Changkyun quickly stands up, bowing over and over again to the manager. "Yes! Thank you for this chance!"

 

"Don't thank me, yet. I haven't said yes to the job and you have to impress me first, okay?" Kihyun awkwardly pats Changkyun's shoulder and Changkyun subtly avoids his hand, rushing to get to the kitchen so he could start with his dish right away.

 

A certain dish pops on his mind and he gathers his ingredients right away, not minding everyone's eyes on him. The whole crew decided to watch the newbie cook and Kihyun admits that Changkyun does look professional while going around the kitchen.

 

Kihyun clears his throat, standing beside Minhyuk who is busy removing crumbs on Hyunwoo's hair. "How is it going ther-"

 

Changkyun suddenly drops the two pans on his hands and it makes a loud noise which startles everyone inside the kitchen. The younger one's eyes almost pop out from its sockets before it registers on his mind that he just dropped expensive pans to the cemented floor of the restaurant.

 

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I'm gonna get th-" As he reaches over for the pans, the spoon with a spoonful of honey idly placed on the edge of the table falls and smudges the honey on Changkyun's pants, ruining the pristine white color of his skinny jeans. "What the fuck?"

 

Jooheon and Minhyuk howl in laughter together, exchanging knowing stares as they look at the bundle of mess that is Changkyun. Wonho shakes his head, feeling second-hand embarassment from his cousin who just became a walking disaster. 

 

"Okay, I should just wait for you to finish then before asking." Kihyun says before leaving the kitchen and Changkyun sighs in relief. He doesn't know what just happened, but he feels so weird inside because the moment he heard the manager's oh-so-sweet honey voice, he immediately went nuts without warning.

 

This should be a problem _if_ he gets the job.

 

"Continue on." Wonho advices him as the four of them are left inside the kitchen to watch over Changkyun cooking.

 

Minutes later and he emerges with a neatly-plated meal on his right hand, silently giving it to Wonho because he doesn't know if he can face the manager again after what just happened while he was trying to cook.

 

Wonho stares at the beautiful plating and Minhyuk and Hyunwoo both make o's with their mouths, admiring the little details on the side of the perfectly cooked meat. "This is some wicked shit, boy."

 

"Thanks, hyung. Just wish me luck that it tastes as good as it looks." Changkyun's feeling uneasy for some reason and Wonho leaves him with the other workers inside the kitchen to clean up the mess he just made. Opening time is around the corner and they should all start preparing before the first wave of customers come in minutes after unlocking the doors.

 

Changkyun cleans up the pans he used, Jooheon starts heating their main courses and Minhyuk helps prepare the plates they'll be needing, stacking them properly so Jooheon could easily reach them. Hyunwoo already left minutes ago, determined to wake Hyungwon up so they could also start preparing by themselves. 

 

"So, are you really good at cooking, kid?" Jooheon breaks the silence and Changkyun answers a brief "yes" before explaining.

 

"I guess I cook pretty decently. I was able to get a degree so it means I cook some good stuff, right?" 

 

Minhyuk laughs and Changkyun laughs with him. Jooheon joins along afterwards as he flips a block of meat after checking its temperature. "I think we would be getting along well." 

 

"Hopefully." Changkyun replies. Wonho comes back inside the kitchen just as Changkyun finishes what he was doing and his cousin shoots him knowing glances. "Oh, hyung, is Kihyun-sunbae done judging?"

 

"Yes, I'm done." Kihyun shortly follows behind Wonho and Changkyun's throat goes dry. "And... I don't know how to say this but-"

 

"Did I mess up the fish? Was it raw? Over-cooked? Damn, I checked the temperature wrongly again!"

 

Kihyun whistles. "Ssh. No, you're wrong. It was actually really good. Even better than some of Jooheon's cooking." 

 

Jooheon whines. "Hyung!"

 

"Kidding. But, really, it was good." Kihyun shoots him a thumbs-up. "Ask Jooheon how things go around here because you'll be starting today. Rush hour is usually at 11:30 in the morning, and it's 10 minutes before opening time so chop chop! Everyone get to work!"

 

Changkyun's eyes widen for a few seconds before he realizes that he's finally gotten a decent job and Wonho winks at him before leaving with Kihyun. Jooheon pats him on the back and Minhyuk congratulates him before pointing at random cabinets for Changkyun to remember where all the supplies are. He only remembers only half of where the things are, still grasping the fact that he doesn't have to do waffles anymore, and the bell inside the restaurant rings, startling him.

 

"Opening time!" Jooheon exclaims. "Changkyun, get ready for the orders Minhyuk would be constantly pinning over the steel bar above our ovens."

 

"Aye." His mind is actually blank that moment as he tries to calm himself before starting anything. The special menu book with the ingredients and how to cook them is laid flat beside his stove and he quickly tries to read through all of them before the kitchen doors open and Minhyuk rushes in with two papers in his hand, quickly clipping them on the order bar.

 

Jooheon and Changkyun simultaneously go towards the orders, with the older one clicking his tongue before holding Changkyun's shoulder. "Okay, the first order is easy. A breakfast meal with eggs and bacon. The second one has two main meals, so you can let me do that one first." He pushes Changkyun to his station, pointing at one plate. "That's the plating for the eggs and bacon meal. Try replicating that. The amount of ingredients you'll be needing are all in the guide book already, okay?"

 

Changkyun's feeling overwhelmed but he quickly nods, giving Jooheon a thumbs up so he could already proceed with his cooking. He learns the ways really quickly, beating the eggs as nicely as he can like what his old chef professors told him back in the days. The bacon he cooked also looked great, all crispy-brown and crunchy-looking in the outside.

 

He finishes the plate within seven minutes, using a tissue to clean up the edges of the plate so it would look cleaner. Changkyun shows it to Jooheon first and the older one smiles at him, letting Changkyun ring the bell so the waiters could get the plate. Hyunwoo comes in seconds later after he presses the bell and Changkyun crosses his fingers that the customer would like what he prepared. 

 

He helps Jooheon around the meals he's preparing, getting the ingredients the older chef needed, and Hyunwoo rushes inside the kitchen to pin more orders. He calls Changkyun over and the chef gulps in nervousness because the waiter is probably gonna tell him what the customer thought of what he just cooked.

 

"She loved it," was all the Hyunwoo said before leaving Changkyun and the latter makes small cheering noises and Kihyun exactly comes around that time to observe and he notes how cute Changkyun looked with his eyes closed and arms making weird movements.

 

"Changkyun?" He says and the chef whips his head to his direction, suddenly freezing midway as his arms were up his head. Kihyun giggles. "What are you doing?"

 

Changkyun quickly gets to his station but he trips on his own footing and almost lands on the floor if it not for his right hand grabbing the edge of the sink. Kihyun steps forward to help him up and the chef makes a weird face. 

 

"Woah there. You okay?"

 

Changkyun laughs. "Yeah, I am. Sorry for that." He notes the manager's hand still on his arm and it's warm and pretty and- "Need to get back to work now."

 

Kihyun nods, tucking his pen inside his pocket as he continued on observing inside the kitchen while Jooheon and Changkyun maneuvered through the flurry of orders coming back and forth. Changkyun is too distracted because he can feel Kihyun's direct stare towards him and he drops the bundle of lettuce he's holding. "Fuck." He cusses under his breath and Kihyun raises an eyebrow.

 

"Are you okay?" The manager asks, reaching over to get the vegetable and Changkyun gulps when Kihyun's back is exposed in front of him; his neck is sweaty and his auburn hair is ruffled in such a cute way and- "Here." Changkyun quickly looks at the chicken he is cooking before Kihyun catches him staring. 

 

"Thanks." Their hands touch when he takes the lettuce from Kihyun's hands and he just wants to melt into a puddle before the manager realizes he's blushing. It's definitely the first time Changkyun's getting flustered over someone and he doesn't know what's with Kihyun that he's all goofy when he's there. He sighs loudly when the manager excuses himself to tend to the customer's needs and Jooheon looks at him from his area, giving him a big smile.

 

"You like Kihyun-hyung?" He teases and Changkyun chokes on his own saliva. 

 

"What?!" He exclaims two octaves higher than his normal voice and Changkyun clears his throat before calmly saying at again. "What?"

 

"I said, you like our manager-hyung. He's cute, I know." Jooheon says as a matter-of-fact and Changkyun watches him complete his fourth plate. "A lot of people who also came before you said the same thing about him."

 

Changkyun fans himself with his hand, suddenly feeling himself sweat. "Is it too obvious? It's just my first day here! How is he that cute that I'm already acting this way around him?"

 

"Exactly. He's _that_ cute that it explains why you're already going all crazy for him." Minhyuk butts in and Changkyun makes weird movements again like he's a worm being drenched in salt. 

 

"Hyung! Did you just hear that?" He already dreads the fact after realizing it and another co-worker just had to hear what he wanted to forget that moment. Changkyun sighs as he picks up the next order and searches for it inside the guide book. Minhyuk snickers.

 

"First day on the job and you already want to hit on our boss. Good luck, mate! He's gonna be a hard catch, as far as I know Kihyun." Minhyuk says as he leaves with the plate Jooheon finished and Changkyun grunts in annoyance before slowly doing the beef dish he's gonna start on. 

 

He just wants a peaceful life after that awful waffle job and the nights where Wonho and his boyfriend's moans boggled him all night long, yet his new job won't be permitting anything peaceful to his life any day now.

 

+++

 

Third day to his new job and everything's going better than he expected. He caused some mishaps here and there, mostly during the times whenever Kihyun dropped by the kitchen to check on them, and he obviously can't stay still during the staff meetings after closing time, but all-in-all, everything's working out for him and Wonho's commending him because the guests apparently like the new taste of some of the dishes Changkyun prepared by himself. 

 

"Beef broccoli's next. Should I do this, hyung?" Changkyun waves the paper around and Jooheon shouts a loud "yes!" from the walk-in freezing room. Hyungwon enters the kitchen afterwards, clipping a new order. Changkyun has already questioned Hyungwon the night before as to what's the real status between him and his cousin, but the tall (and very handsome) guy just shakes his head, meekly smiling.

 

This time, Changkyun doesn't let him go again as he proceeds to his area. "Hyungwon-hyung, what's the real deal between you and my cousin? Please? I won't tell anyone!"

 

Hyungwon rolls his eyes when he looks at him, feet already almost outside the kitchen. "I told you, there's nothing between us! The ones who have something between them among us is Minhyuk and Hyunwoo-hyung, but they kept on denying it." 

 

"Like how you always deny it too?" Changkyun replies and he avoids the crumpled paper Hyungwon throws to his direction. "Hyung!"

 

"Get back to work. Rush hour's coming." Hyungwon says before he leaves and Changkyun continues with his job, still with his handy guide book by his side just in case he forgets some of the ingredients and dishes (even if he studies them for two nights already.) 

 

Kihyun enters the kitchen with an exasperated sigh and Changkyun makes sure to stop what he's doing just in case he creates a mess again, like what's been happening everytime Kihyun is there and he's cooking.

 

"Something wrong?" He asks and Kihyun looks at him with a deadpan expression. 

 

"One female customer started hitting on Hyungwon and Wonho wasn't nice about it, I think, so he accidentally- or was it really an accident?- poured a spoonful of wine on the woman's dress. She almost lost her shit if it weren't for me taking charge and giving her a complimentary meal to compensate. I wanna bash Wonho's head to the nearest wall but he's a good friend of mine and he's just really protective at times, so I understand." Kihyun leans against the sink and Changkyun watches him close his eyes to scratch them. It's honestly so endearing and cute and if it weren't for Jooheon clearing his throat when he entered back from the freezing room, he might have muttered something he shouldn't have.

 

"Hi, Jooheon. How are things going around?" Kihyun asks, folding the rest of the sleeves of his polo up and Changkyun notes the veins protruding from the end of his hand up until the covered part of his arm. He distracts himself by starting on the broccoli but Kihyun speaks again, this time, asking Jooheon about the special meal they'll be having for that week and Changkyuj hates it because instead of distracting himself by cooking, Kihyun's voice is distracting him and he drops both the spoon and pan cover when Kihyun laughs loudly.

 

"Woah, Changkyun-ah, be careful over there!" Kihyun says as he continues on talking with Jooheon and unknowingly distracting Changkyun as well. He barely manages to chop the broccoli properly and he boils them right away to start on the beef he needed to soften again with some more heat. 

 

He places the beef on the pan after it has heated and along the way, Changkyun burns himself and he shouts so loudly that Kihyun rushes over immediately to where he is standing. "What happened?"

 

Changkyun breathes in and out as he tries to explain. "I- I accidentally held the edge of the pan while cooking. Sorry."

 

"Oh, dear. It looks bad. Let's go to my office right away, there's a first-aid bag inside." He pulls Changkyun with him after instructing Jooheon to take over in the meantime (with Jooheon winking towards him before they left the kitchen area.) 

 

The manager's room is as still as clean as it was the first time Changkyun went inside it and Kihyun leaves him by the doorway to retrieve the first aid kit under his cabinet. He asks him to sit on the velvet seat by the table, letting Changkyun drape his arm on the seat's edge so Kihyun can tend on it. Changkyun already insisted that he was fine and no medications were needed, but Kihyun insisted even more that he isn't gonna let Changkyun go back to work as long as no ointment is placed on the affected area.

 

Changkyun silently stares at Kihyun as the manager slowly adds the ointment to his burnt skin and he takes note of the long eyelashes that don't seem to end. Kihyun's nose is also cute and small and his lipsㅡgod, those lips he's been dying to look at ever since he entered the restaurantㅡ are so plump and pink and he wonders if it's kissable.

 

_What._

 

Changkyun almost falls from his seat after realizing what he just thought of and Kihyun's eyes widen when the chef makes a surprised gasp. "Does it hurt?"

 

Changkyun shakes his head, nose flaring from embarassment. "Ah, no no. It's nothing, don't mind me." He lies. "You're good at this, sunbae."

 

"Call me hyung instead. Oh, and thanks. I practiced a lot because I knew I'd be handling employees with clumsy hands sometimes. It was me going all motherly-mode when I first started managing this small restaurant."

 

Changkyun doesn't know where the courage in him is coming from, but he makes the most out of it. "So you're also this caring to the others?"

 

Kihyun laughs and it's music to Changkyun's ears. "Maybe, sometimes. Not all the time. But for you, I seem to have this need to look over you."

 

"Ah." That's all that Changkyun replied before he could say anything further, but he knows he's blushing already and luckily, Kihyun is almost done. 

 

Kihyun finishes with the treatment and Changkyun quickly thanks him before bailing out on the manager and running back to the kitchen, where Jooheon is ultimately on the verge of dying while balancing two dishes at a time. "Hyung!"

 

"Brat! Help me please!" Jooheon pleads as he sautees a pan with his right hand and beats a bowl of egg with his other. Changkyun takes over the pan and finishes the meal just in time as Hyunwoo enters to pin another order.

 

Ultimately, he finishes the day without dropping or messing things up, and maybe because Kihyun doesn't drop by after the whole burning incident again. They meet again, as a whole team, after the restaurant closes and Kihyun commends everyone yet again.

 

"Changkyunnie is settling comfortably in our usual team dynamics. It's great since we don't seem to need more adjustment even if he's just new here, right?" Kihyun comments and everyone agrees, making Changkyun flustered.

 

Jooheon butts in seconds after, "He fits so well inside the kitchen with me that it would seem like we've been cooking together for years. Plus customers seem to notice when it's not my usual cooking since because he does something new every now and then that surprises them positively. That's great to hear."

 

Minhyuk also speaks after the younger chef. "He gets along with me and Hyunwoo very well and I can already treat him like my younger brother even if I just met him days ago. We click that well, right?" He pretends to shoot hearts towards Changkyun and the latter reciprocates, making everyone laugh.

 

"I'm glad everyone's treating my cousin this way!" Wonho says, slinging an arm around Changkyun. "From waffles to main courses, that's my prodigy cousin."

 

"Stop it, hyung." Changkyun laughs when Wonho presses fingers on his waist to tickle him before releasing him completely. Kihyun seems pleased with everything and he congratulates everyone again after the tiring day, making sure to remind all the staff to go to work early again tomorrow so they could prepare things beforehand. They bid each other good night and Wonho asks Changkyun if he can go home by himself since he and Hyungwon will be going out with the others. Changkyun grunts but says yes.

 

"You're a big boy now, okay?" Wonho says with Hyungwon beside him and Changkyun nods. "Okay, just leave the front door of the apartment open, please." And with that reminder, he and Hyungwon walk off to somewhere, leaving Changkyun alone to trudge back to their flat. 

 

Kihyun calls out for Changkyun all of a sudden after locking the front doors of the restaurant and Changkyun turns around to see the manager running towards him with hands tucked inside his jacket's pockets. Kihyun is wearing a blue beanie and it fits him cutely that it makes Changkyun want to pick him up and twirl him around, but of course, that isn't gonna happen anytime soon, or ever, for that matter.

 

"You heading home?" Kihyun says when he reaches Changkyun and the chef almost slips when his knees wobble. He nods. "Great! I think we're gonna head to the same direction so we might as well go together."

 

It's the first time Changkyun sees Kihyun actually departing from the restaurant because he always went home earlier than the others with Wonho. Tonight, however, everyone stayed together and left together, with Hyungwon and Wonho following Minhyuk, Hyunwoo, and Jooheon to the noraebang. Of course, Wonho didn't let his little cousin join them, and Kihyun calmly declined. 

 

"You're staying with Wonho, right?" Kihyun asks and Changkyun silently nods. "So, how did you come upon our place?"

 

"Ah," Changkyun rubs the back of his neck, feeling uneasy over the close proximity between him and Kihyun, "I told him I was tired of the job I previously had and he told me about your restaurant."

 

"So you do make great pastry, I assume?" They're already approaching the intersection where the city starts to get busy and Changkyun sucks in a gulp of breath before answering.

 

"I guess so? They told me I make great waffles and pancakes so yes, you can assume." He jokingly says, feeling elated when he hears Kihyun laugh beside him. 

 

They talk about different things after that, like Changkyun's stay at Boston, the restaurant's history under Kihyun's management, old hilarious moments inside the restaurant back when Gunhee, the past chef who worked with Jooheon, was still part of the team before he left for a job opportunity overseas. Kihyun mentioned how it broke Jooheon completely, for unknown reasons, but Jooheon got back up a few weeks after, even more dedicated to his job after the incident. They never talked about Gunhee again.

 

"So Jooheon-hyung was attached to the Gunhee guy?" Changkyun asks.

 

"Yes, very. They were the best tandem the restaurant has had for months and everyone loved their dynamics as a duo...but I'm glad you and Jooheon are finding your rhythm early into your new relationship as a duo for our restaurant." Kihyun replies as they cross over the street where Changkyun's apartment is found. Changkyun asks him where he stayed at, but Kihyun just answers that it's the same way as Changkyun and Wonho's place.

 

"Hyung, my apartment's near. You sure you don't want me to drop you off your place instead?" Changkyun asks. Kihyun shakes his head.

 

"I'm the older one so I should be the one doing this." The manager, even if he's just older by a few years, looks stunning under the glow of the moonlight and he smiles so beautifully that Changkyun's on the verge of just dropping to the floor.

 

Changkyun finally reaches the steps of his apartment building and Kihyun turns to him when he stops, noticing that they already reached Changkyun's destination. "Ah, you're staying here?"

 

The chef nods and Kihyun smiles. "Great, you got home safely. I have to get going now." He says, bidding goodbye to Changkyun as he heads forward, but then he suddenly shouts, "I look forward to working more with you, Changkyun-ah!"

 

Changkyun blushes so hard that he quickly runs inside before he gets caught. His heart is beating so fast it's about to rip his ribcage and he suddenly remembers Kihyun's smile and warmth and the feeling he had when their shoulders touched. Everything is so beautiful that moment and Changkyun isn't able to sleep that night, even after Wonho came entering a bit tipsy at around 3 in the morning. He sure as hell will never get used to being around someone like Kihyun, or else his heart's gonna beat so fast every second that he might die from it. 

 

+++

 

It's only been a month since Changkyun started working at the Flower Cafe and Restaurant, yet it seems like he has been working under it for years already. He's got his own batch of regular customers who drop by the restaurant almost everyday just to get their usual orders done by Changkyun, and business, in other terms, is still going well. 

 

On the other hand, Changkyun is, and still is, very disorganized whenever Kihyun's around. He's probably shattered around 20 plates for that month alone, wasted so much meat after accidentally either pouring the wrong sauce because Kihyun came inside the room or flip the meat too hard that it plummets to the other side of the kitchen because Kihyun called him over. None of them say anything though; everyone loved Changkyun so much like their baby brother, customers loved his cooking, and he genuinely says sorry every single time. They never question him why he keeps on messing up at times because he knows Jooheon and Minhyuk already know why and they probably told everyone already, except the main man himself. Even Wonho teases him inside their apartment at times and he teases back using Hyungwon. (But Changkyun always gets the last laugh.)

 

Moments when Kihyun and Changkyun go home together also became more often than before. No one teases them for this and Changkyun is thankful for it and it slowly became a routine for them to go home together. Sundays are also spent with the whole team, with Kihyun arranging team building activities whenever he feels like having one. Everyone enjoys the food they bring and the games they play together. It's all better, really better, than what Changkyun had in mind of having a new job.

 

November comes in very fast for him and he only started working for the restaurant just as autumn started. He saw the transition of the customers' clothing from long-sleeved shirts and shorts to jackets and coast. Even he and the others also brought their own jackets especially since they come home late at night and the cold breeze welcomes them after leaving the restaurant.

 

He's busy preparing a dish with Jooheon in his area when Minhyuk and Hyunwoo step inside the kitchen to add an order on the steel bar of orders. Minhyuk then whisks his way towards Changkyun who's busy chopping onions (while trying to keep his tears from falling. Because of the onions.)

 

"Changkyun-ah." Minhyuk lightly nudges the chef's shoulder and the latter looks up at him to raise and eyebrow.

 

"Yeah?"

 

Minhyuk smiles. "Kihyun's birthday is around the corner. It's on the 22nd." 

 

Changkyun's heart suddenly thumps and his mind quickly thinks of scenarios that might happen that day; ideas for his gift and what he'll say to Kihyun for his birthday are all running inside his mind that Jooheon has to throw a piece of garlic to his face for him to realize he's in the middle of cooking something.

 

"Wait, it's really on the 22nd?" He whispers while keeping focused on the pan he's heating to fry the chicken. Minhyuk nods beside him and Jooheon agrees. 

 

"Yes, November 22. Do you guys have any plans that day?"

 

Jooheon and Changkyun shake their head and Minhyuk clamps a hand around Hyunwoo's arm, grinning. "Great. Well, we have a plan for him but you can't tell him we have a surprise, okay?"

 

"What is it?" Changkyun asks and Minhyuk comes back to his side to whisper the details about the surprise party they're gonna hold for Kihyun. Hyunwoo whispers for Jooheon on the other side of the kitchen. They all laugh together realizing how lame their idea is but Changkyun supposes it's better than nothing. Just a usual birthday dinner with all seven of them present and of course, Jooheon and Changkyun would be cooking for them. Wonho volunteered to buy the drinks and Hyunwoo said he'll take care of the supplies. It's to be held in the noraebang where Kihyun loves to go to every holidays with Minhyuk where they just sing until their voices go hoarse.

 

"We'll see you then?" Minhyuk asks them and the two chefs say "yes" together.

 

The whole day is uneventful, as lucky as Changkyun may seem, and he's given the luxury of constantly drifting his thoughts towards the possible gifts he could give to Kihyun. Ranging from lame teddy bears (which he felt extremely cheesy over), to pricey watches that would match Kihyun's pristine attire everyday. His paychecks every month are also nice to look at and he wonders if it would look okay for him to spend money over his boss' gift for his birthday, but he remembers the amount of laughs they shared, stories they've told each other, and the countless times Kihyun has made him happy, physically and emotionally, and it wouldn't hurt to spend a couple of huge bills for him.

 

He asks Hyunwoo and Minhyuk to come with him one Saturday since Hyungwon and Wonho always hung out together whenever they had free time, and Jooheon is busy with his own life as well to join him. Minhyuk insisted he comes along with the chef, dragging Hyunwoo with him and the latter just can't say no to someone who's really good at persuading (and someone whom he's been in love with ever since.)

 

Changkyun's on his way to meet Minhyuk and Hyunwoo at the mall a couple of blocks away from his flat when he receives a message from Kihyun, asking where he is.

 

**To: Kihyunnie-hyung**  
_Hyung! I'm going out with friends today. Why?_

 

**From: Kihyunnie-hyung**  
_Ah, nothing. I'm just checking._

 

Changkyun stares at his phone for a fee seconds before replying, feeling bewildered. 

 

**To: Kihyunnie-hyung**  
_Oh, okay. Are you not doing anything right now?_

 

Just as he clicks 'send', he suddenly hears Minhyuk calling out to him and he waves at the two men waiting for him by the ice cream shop. "Hyungs!"

 

Hyunwoo cheerfully smiles at him and Minhyuk approaches Changkyun right away, poking his arm. "So, do you have anything in mind that you would want Kihyun to have?"

 

"I still have no idea, actually. I need you guys to help me with this because I'm running out of ideas and I have to give him the most perfect gift he could imagine."

 

Minhyuk claps his hand. "Don't worry, I got you covered. I know the perfect gift for Kihyun."

 

+++

 

"Surprise!" Everyone shouts altogether when the door opens wide, revealing a smiling Hyungwon and an obviously suprised Kihyun who's holding bags of chips with his hands. Kihyun scans the room and every staff of the restaurant is inside, sitting around the small table in front of the blasting videoke.

 

Hyungwon wraps his arms around him, whispering a loud "Happy birthday!" as his voice clashes with the loud party song playing in the background and Wonho takes the chips away from him while Minhuuk guides him to his seat beside Changkyun.

 

"Hyung, happy birthday." Changkyun greets him with a shy smile as the others continued on singing loudly into the microphones they're holding, singing some of Kihyun's favorite songs.

 

"Thank you." He replies before facing the others. "Guys! You shouldn't have spent this much over my birthday!" Kihyun takes note of the food in front of them, ranging from black bean noodles to beautifully-roasted meat. He definitely did not expect something like this; all that Hyungwon told him the day before was that they were having a small get-together with Minhyuk to celebrate his birthday, but he didn't expect everyone to be present to celebrate with him and his heart swells with happiness seeing everyone enjoying inside.

 

"Hyung, are you happy?" Changkyun asks him as Hyunwoo and Minhyuk take the floor to have a duet, 4MEN's Baby Baby suddenly blasting off from the speakers as Wonho, Hyungwon, and Jooheon dance hilariously behind them while reenacting drama scenes. Kihyun looks at him and he sees how Changkyun's attention is completely towards him and only him, and it takes all of Kihyun's will not to blush.

 

"Yeah, I really am."

 

"Well then!" Changkyun stands up and takes Kihyun's hands between his, pulling him up. "Let's have more fun, shall we?"

 

Kihyun laughs. "What will we do? Everyone's already having fun here. Even Jooheon looks so happy playing with the ceiling lights." He points over to the chef going crazy while experimenting with the disco ball above them. Hyungwon and Wonho are starting to be touchy with each other as the bridge of the song comes up and Changkyun forcefully stops the music player, earning groans from the rest of the group. 

 

"Changkyun-ah!" Minhyuk crosses his arms in front of his chest, earning a giggle from their youngest chef.

 

"Let me choose the song."

 

And he does. A familiar beat starts to play and within a minute, everyone had their hands up, waving it back and forth while singing "bang bang bang!" together. They formed a line, swaying their hips together and Kihyun has never felt this laid-back and happy in quite a while. The stress his work gave him for the past few months are all gone and everyone seemed to be enjoying as much as he does.

 

Changkyun continuously stares at Kihyun while they danced together, amazed at how the manager's cheeks crinkle with delight when he laughs so hard after Minhyuk trips on his own footing. His special dimples that only appear when he's genuinely laughing is back and it's honestly the cutest thing Changkyun has ever seen in his life.

 

He makes a bold move of touching Kihyun's right cheek while everyone's too busy partying to Big Bang and Kihyun freezes, slowly facing him with an unreadable expression. The latter then laughs again before poking Changkyun back and his heart leaps out from his chest, feeling all giddy before they settle back to their previous positions to dance to Hyungwon's personal pick, Shake It. It's a personal favorite among the seven of them, a song they usually blast off before the restaurant doors open so they could all get into their game.

 

Hyunwoo grabs the microphone to sing along with the female voice and Kihyun joins him, leaving the others to dance behind the two of them. Changkyun feels his knees weaken from exhaustion and he takes a break to sit down on the red bean bag, completely lying down to regain some of his energy back.

 

Wonho, after leaving the room for a few minutes, comes back after the song has ended with three plastics bags with him. They all look at each other, knowing what is actually inside the white bags, and Hyungwon asks Changkyun to choose any song to play as the rest of them clean the table to properly line ip the drinks. 

 

"Just so you know, I have a high tolerance to alcohol, and Kihyun's the weakest to handle it next to Minhyuk." Hyungwon proudly says as he opens one bottle with the bottle opener. He drinks it in one go, astonishing everyone inside the room and Jooheon, Wonho, and Hyunwoo follow him, opening their own drinks so they could get everything started.

 

Changkyun promptly gets one for himself, quietly opening the bottle as Jooheon starts the conversation, sharing stories with everyone while they finish their bottles. He doesn't particularly like the taste of alcohol, but he has high tolerance for it, unlike Kihyun who's currently weighing his options; either to drink some or not drink at all since he needs to come home safely and he can't bear getting all tipsy or drunk before going home.

 

Everyone's lazily drinking their own bottles and Minhyuk already reaches his limit after drinking two cups, lying against Hyunwoo's body so he could peacefully fall asleep. Wonho's in the middle of telling old stories with Hyungwon when Kihyun takes a bottle and pours himself a cup of his own.

 

Changkyun holds the manager's wrist; he's already on his second bottle and he's not yet tipsy at all, but he knows Kihyun's weak for alcohol and is currently worried for him. Kihyun shakes his head and smiles at him, assuring him he's gonna be okay.

 

Kihyun gulps the cup slowly before finishing with a loud "ha!", not liking the strong taste of soju at all. But it does have an effect on him; it slowly takes his mind off of things and everything seems light around him. Changkyun finishes his second bottle and gets on with his third, Kihyun gets his second cup and slowly laughs with the others as they tell hilarious stories like that one time Hyungwon accidentally called a customer "sir" when she was actually a woman. He got a slap and a string of curses after, earning loud remarks from the others. Hyunwoo and Wonho are both on their third bottles, Hyungwon and Jooheon with their second, Changkyun also running behind Hyunwoo and Wonho for the third bottle, and Kihyun's about to take his third cup but he soon sees stars and just laughs maniacally even if the room is quiet.

 

Changkyun's into half of his bottle when his eyes slowly drift off for a few seconds before Jooheon taps his face, waking him up.

 

"Still up for more?" The chef asks and Changkyun just giggles.

 

"Sure!" He lazily says, leaning back against the soft bean bag. Hyunwoo tells his own stories with Minhyuk; how they met, how they got close, and how Kihyun met the two of them and hired them for his restaurant. Kihyun agrees with him as he tells the story, showing signs of approval as Hyunwoo praised Kihyun's nice demeanor back then.

 

An hour later, everyone's slowly drifting off to sleep and Kihyun is groggily humming to some love song that's familiar to Changkyun. Wonho and Hyungwon are done making out and are already leaning against each other, Jooheon's hugging the microphone with him while chanting "Gunhee-ya, Gunhee-ya," and Hyunwoo's busy fixing Minhyuk's position so the younger boy could sleep better.

 

Changkyun cheekily notes how warm Kihyun's arm is against his and they sway together while letting the love song from the videoke drown their sleepy sighs.

 

All the flashbacks of their trips going home together and the random moments they have inside the restaurant, may it be those funny ones where he kept on being a destructive chef whenever Kihyun's around, or those times where Kihyun's a disorganized manager who messes up the reservation list too many times a month, made him realize that it's been so long since they met and so long since Kihyun caught his heart and kept it with him that Changkyun can't do anything about it anymore.

 

He doesn't know how, or why he's about to do what he's going to do, but Kihyun is _so_ beautiful against the dim light of the noraebang and everything is so perfect that moment. 

 

"I like you, hyung~ More than just a friend." Changkyun hiccups. The manager subtly smiles at him as he wraps his arms around Changkyun's waist, leaning his whole body against the younger boy.

 

"I may just like you too, Changkyun-ah." Kihyun laughs loudly before sighing, "a little bit too much."

 

And the both of them black out.


End file.
